When shipping small and light weight but fragile products, it is desirable not only to provide packaging protection which is as complete as possible but also to minimize both packaging and shipping costs. In minimizing packaging costs, it is becoming increasingly important to avoid the use of environmentally disadvantageous materials such as foams wherever possible.
In the past, a common approach in the packaging of such products as electrical printed circuit boards, which are essentially flat but have multiple electrical components mounted upon them, has been to box them in on all sides, using foam slabs within an outer cardboard carton. For larger and heavier printed circuit boards, because it is important to avoid placing pressure directly upon the electrical components, common practice has been to use foam that can deform to the contours of the components. Foam tends, unfortunately, not only to be relatively expensive to produce but also to create environmental problems related to its eventual disposition. It is advantageous, both from the standpoint of initial cost and from that of eventual disposition, if a material such as corrugated cardboard can be used both as an outer carton and also to provide the necessary interior support and protection.